1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a drive unit for causing a swinging body to pivot by means of a magnetic interaction force acting between a coil and a permanent magnet and a toy in which this drive unit is used.
2. Description of the Related Art
Toys having moving parts to get the attention of those nearby using various drive units have been proposed. In conventional toys of this kind, for example when a coin is inserted, moving parts are moved by the rotary drive of a motor and the toy is thereby made to perform a predetermined action. That is, a conventional toy has a drive transmitting mechanism for reducing in speed and transmitting the rotary drive of a motor with gears or the like, and the rotary drive is mechanically transmitted to specific parts by means of this drive transmitting mechanism and causes those parts to swing or move in some other way.
However, because conventional drive units and toys in which they are used have been constructed so that specific parts are caused to pivot or move in some other way by the rotary drive of a motor being mechanically transmitted to those parts by means of a drive transmitting mechanism, it has been difficult to make the response of the moving parts quick.
Also, there has been the problem that when an attempt is made to control the movements of the moving parts accurately and subtly, the drive transmitting mechanism becomes complex, and not only does the size of the toy itself increase correspondingly but also the work of assembling the toy becomes intricate and complicated.
Furthermore, when gears and cams and the like are used as a drive transmitting mechanism for transmitting the rotary drive of a motor, mechanical drive noises are sometimes produced, and there has been the problem that particularly in quiet environments these mechanical drive noises can be grating and uncomfortable to listen to.